| Let’s start with a warning – public nudity is illegal, swimming in the Bow River is illegal, and it is illegal to be in many parks, especially the ones mentioned below, between midnight and 5 a.m. Also, alcohol and other impairing substances and waterways can be a lethal combination.
OK, having gotten the heavy stuff out of the way, and chilly glacier-fed rivers or not, Calgary has some amazing skinny-dipping holes worthy of a few laps of moonlit backstroke. It’s a summer ritual that makes you feel really alive, a memory to smile about over your eggnog when Jack Frost is nipping at your buttocks. But you might want to have some patience – late summer is prime time for this pursuit, as the sun has had a few months to warm up the water, the mountain glacier melt is generally over, and the cooler nights of late August have not yet arrived.
My number one dipping hole is within easy staggering distance of some of the greatest music clubs that ever graced our friendly city. Many a night at the Night Gallery, Republik and, my favourite, the old Westward Club, ended with a stroll south down First Street. About mid-way between the Lindsay Park footbridge and the 25th Avenue traffic bridge is a place where the Elbow River slows and deepens slightly, just enough to swim a few strokes from side to side or to drift in the current for a dozen metres. One bonus about this happy place is that pathway users in our growing city are likely to appear on the east side of the river at all hours of the night, many of them sporting libations. With your cloak of moonlight and water, interesting conversations take place.
For those who prefer a more intimate setting, there is the dog park swimming hole just north of the Sandy Beach footbridge, down the hill from River Park. The Elbow curves slightly about 50 metres past the bridge, and the water deepens enough to turn an alluring green. By day canines of all shapes frolic and splash, by evening, an old-city quiet settles over the area. The middle of the channel is over the average person’s head in places, yet the current usually stays slow enough for a few bodies to drift and float a little. It’s a wonderful place to spend some quality time with your honey.
The great thing about the Elbow River is that in most places the banks are within easy reach on either side with just a few strokes. The Bow River is a lot wider and swifter, which explains why citizens are not supposed to be swimming there. However, there is one great little bay that is absolutely protected from the current and makes a delightful place to float on your back and gaze at the moon. It is just off the bike path at the east end of Edworthy Park, where the bike trail veers away from the train tracks and to the north for about 100 metres before turning west again. There is a city utility building fenced off at one corner, and a thin peninsula of shore that forms the protection from the current.
It is worth mentioning that over the 20 or so years I rode my horses through what is now Fish Creek Park (mostly before the area was developed, so it was a lot quieter and more private), I found dozens of great little places to swim. The recent floods have re-written the park’s topography, but generally Fish Creek is a delightful place to explore in any case. The creek is smaller and slower than the two rivers, which makes for inviting pools. Perhaps your summer project could be discovering your own favourite skinny dipping holes there with your sweetie.
And finally, some people just don’t like river swimming – the fish, weeds or rawness of the experience freaks them out. Fair enough. Rumour has it that the beautiful and famed Karma Girls (waitresses from Karma restaurant from about four or five years back when it was at its peak as a music destination) participated in the time honoured tradition of climbing over the fence at a nearby city outdoor swimming pool to enjoy a star-washed dip after hours. The pools are open for such a brief time anyway that it makes sense to enjoy them at all hours.
Happy dipping! |
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